Bridget

If you are considering a smaller city you may want to check our Hood River. Tons of out doorsy oportunities, Mt Hood, Mt Adams, The Mighty Columbia. Two good sit down resturaunts and a decent bakery. Many excellent Taco stands. Lots of local produce. Ethnic diversity brought by the resident hispanic poulation. Much less rain. A cute and reasonably vibrant downtown that has not yet been killed by Wallmart. To fill your cosmopolitian needs, PDX is less than an hour away.

There is no doubt that somthing special is going on in Portland, as each new wave spot opens they both borrow from and one up each other- house made this- locally grown that. The result is that there are outragiously rightious and delicious bites to be had at many of these places. There is however, a bizarre element of groove involved that can result in alienation if you are not so hip yourself. I have in fact experienced down right poor service at several of these spots and wonder who of these wiz kids will last in the "brutal bussiness"? As Greg Higgins shows us, to stay on top you have to serve great food and provide great service.